Lewis a



law I Patented Dec; 31, 1895.

L. A. FOOTE. HAND PRESS FOR SEALS.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LE\VIS A. FOOTE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHICAGO CAR- SEAL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

HAN D-PRESS FOR SEALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,174, dated December 31, 1895. Application filedMay 6, 1895. Serial raseasoz. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS A. FOOTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hand-Presses for Seals, of which the follow ing is a specification.

In applying lead seals to car-doors and also to meat which has been inspected a handpress is used for compressing the seal.

My invention relates to an improved handpress for this purpose, which, however, by simply modifying the jaws maybe employed also as a wire-cutting tool or for any other analogous purpose requiring strong leverage.

My invention will be fully understood by describing my device specifically as a handpress for seals, which is its principal purpose.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of mydevice with the jaws closed; Fig. 2, a similar view with the jaws open; Fig. 3, an end view of the device open, as in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectionalview taken on the line t of Fig. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 5 a sectional view taken on the line 5 of Fig. 4 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A and A are two jaws pivoted together and provided above the pivot with proper lettering to be impressed upon the seal. As shown in the drawings the jaw A has two lugs c, which receive between them the lug a on the jaw A, and the pin t-passes through a hole in these lugs to form the pivot. Instead of this construction of the lugs, however, a single lug upon each jaw might be employed.

B B are handles, one pivoted to each jaw at its rear end, as shown at s, and C C are two arms pivoted to the handles B, as shown at 'r, and thence extending backward to the rear end of the bar D, to which they are pivoted, as shown at q. The barD is bifurcated and extends to both sides of the jaws A and A and is rigidly fitted upon the pivot-pin t. The extensions 19 of this bar form a lateral inclosure for the space between the jaws and facilitate the insertion of the seal in proper position.

So far as merely obtaining the requisite leverage is concerned the bar D might be wholly omitted and the arms C simply pivoted together at their rear ends; but it is desirable in a device of this nature that the handles be compelled to move to and from each other in unison, in order that the labor of operating them maybe equally divided between the two hands of the user. The barD acting in conjunction with the branch arms E and the arms C eifects this object. The branch arms E are connected at their rear ends to the arms C by pivots 0 at a short distance from the pivots r, and at their upper ends are pivoted in common to a pin at extending through a slot m formed in both branches Z of the bifurcated bar D, the upper ends of the branch arms E being thus between these branches. In the operation of the handles B the pin n plays forward and back in the slot m, and it is impossible for one handle to move in either direction without causing the other handle to move to an equal degree in the contrary direction.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the jaws A and A pivoted together, handles B pivoted to the 7 5 lower ends of the jaws, bar D secured to the fulcrum-pin of the jaws and extending backward therefrom and provided with a slot m, arms C pivoted to the handles and also to the bar D, and branch arms E pivoted to the arms C and also to a pin a moving in the slot m of the bar D, substantially as described.

2. In a hand-press for lead-seals, the combination of the jaws A and A fulcrumed upon each other, bifurcated bar D having its 8 5 branches Zsecured to opposite ends of the fulcrum-pin of the jaws and provided with the extensions and withv the slot m, handles B pivoted to t e rear ends of the jaws A and A, arms C pivoted to the handles B at their for- 0 ward ends and to the bar D at their rear ends, and branch arms E pivoted at their rear ends to the arms C and at their forward ends to a pin n, movable in the slot m, substantially as described.

LEWIS A. FOOTE.

In presence of M. J. Faosr, J. H. LEE. 

